The invention relates in general to brassieres. More particularly, the invention relates to a brassiere adapted for the needs of a woman who has undergone a bilateral augmentation mammaplasty or breast augmentation procedure.
During a breast augmentation procedure, many of the supportive ligaments of the breast, as well as the natural inframammary crease, are disrupted and weakened. Despite capsule or natural scar formation around the breast implant, the weight of the implant coupled with the stretching and loss of elasticity of the skin can lead to an unaesthetic lowering of the implant that may require additional corrective surgery. Additionally, breast implants typically alter the natural breast size and shape. Currently, breast augmentation patients are instructed to wear a supportive brassiere after surgery, but none of the brassiere designers, manufacturers, and/or vendors has developed a brassiere to meet the unique needs for this population of women.
The natural shape of a woman""s breasts prior to a bilateral augmentation mammaplasty has a xe2x80x9cteardropxe2x80x9d profile with a gentle concave downslope extending from below the clavicle to the nipple. The shape of the inframammary (under the breast) fold of the natural breast has the shape of a flattened semicircle. This flattened semicircular fold is representative of the shape of the similarly shaped underwires used in constructing the known types of brassieres.
The shapes of the cups of conventional brassieres are typically conical. A conically shaped brassiere cup does not comfortably accommodate the hemispherical shape of the augmented breast formed by the underlying breast implant. Conically shaped cups typically are tight around the base of the augmented breast, and the rounded bust point of the augmented breast does not fill out the xe2x80x9ctipxe2x80x9d of the cone leaving excess unattractive fabric in this area, nor is the bust point supported. Although conventional brassiere construction works well for the majority of women who have not augmented their breasts, the known types of brassieres do not provide for the augmented breast shape and related chest wall relationships or the additional support required by a woman with augmented breasts.
The typical augmented breast has a somewhat hemispherical shape, and a convex downslope extending from below the clavicle to the nipple. Additionally, the augmented breast has a relatively smaller base diameter on the chest wall when compared to a natural breast of equal volume. This is the reason many women with augmented breasts have a wide cleavage or medial distance between the breasts. Additionally, the inframammary folds have been lowered. The bust point, or nipple, also has a greater anterior projection than that of a natural breast, and the inframammary fold is now a true semicircle in accordance with the circular shape of the round breast implant.
Current brassieres provide poor support and fit for the woman who has undergone a breast augmentation. For example, after a breast augmentation, a women that is properly measured and should be wearing a 32D brassiere typically cannot find a properly fitting brassiere because this breast size is not a common natural breast size. Such a women is forced to wear a size 34C brassiere due to the adequately sized, although not optimally shaped, underwire provided thereby. However, the brassiere band is too large and breast support is transferred to the shoulder straps resulting in discomfort to the wearer over time. Further, the cups of available brassieres, which are not shaped for augmented breasts, fail to provide appropriate fit to augmented breasts which leads to discomfort and inadequate support.
In conventionally constructed brassieres, the center front connector between the cups also is not wide enough for proper fit on a woman with augmented breasts. The connector typically bowstrings between the augmented breasts and is raised off of the chest wall thus diminishing the brassiere""s cantilevered support system. The brassiere cups and breasts are thus forced medially toward center front. Consequently, the cups and underwires are distorted, the cleavage is deepened and the brassiere appears unattractive and too tight. There should be no space between the center front section and the chest wall in a properly fitted, comfortable and attractive brassiere that offers the full benefit of a cantilevered support system. What is needed is a center front connector that eliminates the above-mentioned problems and ensures proper fit, comfort and support for the breasts.
The currently available brassieres do not, therefore, address the specific structural and anatomic needs unique to the growing population of women with breast implants. There is no brassiere that is specifically designed for the shape, size, and relative placement of augmented breasts. The need has thus arisen for a uniquely designed, supportive, and attractive post surgical brassiere for women who have undergone breast augmentation.
The present invention is a postoperative bilateral augmentation mammaplasty brassiere that is specifically designed for women with surgically augmented breasts, having either saline-filled or silicone gel-filled breast implants positioned above or below the pectoralis major muscle. The brassiere of the present invention offers these women customized fit and maximum support in an attractive, fashionable brassiere.
In combination with the known elements of brassiere construction, at least three unique design features are present in the brassiere of this invention. First is the shape of the underwire, formed as a slightly lengthened true semicircle with slight center front outward deflection and lateral outward deflection. Second, is the shape of the brassiere cup in that it has an arcuate shape in both the vertical and horizontal directions for creating a xe2x80x9csphericalxe2x80x9d cup. The arc of the sphere is a mathematically defined segment of a circle which compliments the shape of the breast implant and, therefore, the augmented breast. Third, the defined width of the center front connector and its relationship to the center front tips of the underwires of the brassiere allow for better fit, comfort, appearance and support.
It is anticipated that each individual manufacturer""s design model for the brassiere will be a young to middle-aged woman of average height and ideal body weight with varying breast band sizes with an augmented breast of various sizes. For design purposes, the pre-augmentation breast size of these women ideally should not be larger than a small B cup so that the post-augmented breast most closely mimics the shape and volume of the underlying breast implant. The present invention will allow for the lowered and semicircular inframammary crease that occurs after a breast augmentation, the widened cleavage that occurs, and will allow for larger and more projected, spherical cup sizes thus maintaining comfort and adequate brassiere band support.
Accordingly, in a first embodiment, a brassiere for use by a woman that has undergone a mammaplasty or breast augmentation procedure is disclosed, the brassiere comprising a first support cup and a first elongate underwire formed as a part of the cup, where the underwire defines at least in part a first semi-circular arc. The first underwire comprises an elongate first semi-circular arc segment with a first elongate extension extending away therefrom and outwardly of a first end of the arc segment. The underwire may further comprise a second elongate extension which extends away from and outwardly of a second end of the arc segment.
The brassiere includes a second support cup having a second underwire formed as a part thereof, the second underwire defining at least in part a second semi-circular arc. Both the first and second underwires are spaced from and with respect to one another by a connector attaching the first support cup to the second support cup. The connector is sized and shaped so that the first ends of the respective underwires are spaced from one another by a distance of approximately 2.5 cm. The first arc segment and the second arc segment, respectively, each subtend an angle of approximately 140 degrees.
In a second aspect, the brassiere comprises a first support cup sized and shaped to have a hemispherical shape, and has a first underwire formed as a part of the first support cup. The first underwire is once again formed to have a first semi-circular arc segment, with a first extension at a first end of the arc segment which extends away from and outwardly of the arc segment. The first underwire also has a second extension at a second end of the first arc segment, the second extension also extending away from and outwardly of said arc segment.
The brassiere further comprises a second support cup sized and shaped to have a spherical shape, with a second underwire formed as a part of the second support cup, and includes a connector extending between and attaching the first support cup to the second support cup. The second underwire comprises a second semi-circular arc segment with first extension and second extension at the respective ends thereof, each such extension extending away from and outwardly of the second arc segment.
The connector extends between the first support cup and the second support cup, and is constructed and arranged to space an end of the first underwire from an end of the second underwire by a distance of approximately 2.5 cm. Both the first and second arc segment subtend an angle of approximately 140 degrees.
In a third aspect of the invention, a method of forming a brassiere is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of forming a first support cup in the shape of a section of a sphere, and forming a first underwire as a part of the first support cup. The step of forming the first underwire includes the steps of forming a first semi-circular arc segment therein and forming a first extension at a first end of the arc segment. The method further comprises forming a second support cup in the shape of a section of a sphere, forming a second underwire as a part of the second support cup, and connecting the first support cup to the second support cup with a connector extending therebetween. The method also includes forming a first semi-circular arc segment in the first underwire, forming a first extension at a first end of the first arc segment, forming a second semi-circular arc segment in the second underwire, and forming a first extension at a first end of the second arc segment.